The present invention relates to an autonomous agriculture platform guidance system and method. All publications cited in this application are herein incorporated by reference.
On large and small farms, tractors are the most indispensable tool of the modern farmer. Whether tilling the earth, spraying pesticides, or performing other general farm tasks, tractors have become a staple of today's agriculture. The tractor's dependence on human drivers is, however, a drawback. Humans are susceptible to fatigue, distraction, and have trouble multitasking and driving at night or in bad weather. Wages, benefits, and insurance can also make frequent operations prohibitively expensive. Regulations specify the length of time humans may be exposed to potentially hazardous substances (such as pesticides) and the safety equipment they must wear. Furthermore, driving a tractor, especially while wearing a protective non-porous suit in 112° F. weather, which is a typical temperature in some areas during the summer, is not an appealing career and is attracting fewer and fewer employees. Tractor drivers performing work in the field (like pesticide-spraying) must drive very slowly along identical rows and stay focused on one highly repetitive task all day long. They cannot bring reading material or any other diversion because an accident can destroy crops and jeopardize the life of the driver. By nature, humans just aren't are not as adept at maintaining focus under tedious conditions, and are arguably ill-suited for such a monotonous task.